Photograph of Lewanika, King of Barotseland, on a visit to England

This group photograph shows King Lewanika with Edith Lyttelton Gell and her husband Philip (with the walking stick). The man seated on Lewanika's right is probably his Prime Minister, Ngambela Mokamba and the other man seated is likely to be a Mosotho interpreter. Lewanika (also known as Lubosi, Lubosi Lewanika or Lewanika I) was born in 1842 and became the king (or Lozi Litunga) of Barotseland in 1878. He ruled until 1916, with a break in 1884-5.

This was at a time when colonialism created many problems and unrest. Lewanika received a proposal from the Ndebele to resist the white men, but his response was to crush the rebellion. Lewanika brought Barotseland under British control in 1890, when he was in agreement with Cecil Rhodes for the region to become a protectorate under the British South Africa Company (BSAC).

However, Lewanika felt deceived by the terms of the BSAC as they were put into practice and he appealed, unsuccessfully, to the British Crown. Action against slavery was routinely cited as justification for British imperial exploits, although they were not able to put an end to slavery by simple decree. In 1902, Lewanika visited London for the Coronation of King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra, where he had an audience with King Edward and an informal meeting with the Prince of Wales.

Lewanika had many children and his eldest son, Litia, succeeded as Yeta III on his father's death in 1916.